I’m from California, as many of you know: the southern end of the Bay Area, where Silicon Valley is.  I came east yesterday for the unfortunate purpose of seeing my mother who was gravely ill. She actually passed away shortly after Dave, my younger brother and I arrived at the hospital. However, one week before this, Mom celebrated her 90th birthday which I attended along with relatives and Mom’s friends. She had a really good time, as did everyone else. She went into the hospital the day I left to go back to the west coast. I don’t know if I arrived in the nick of time or if Mom waited for me to be there, but I was fortunate to arrive before she died and was able to talk to her. Don’t know if she heard me, but I felt better imagining that she did.

White stuff:

I grew up on the east coast so I used to be familiar with winter and snow, but I think I had forgotten about it. I don’t watch the news much, but I do know that there has been plenty of snow here in the east for the past couple of months.  I must have forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by snow. I looked out the window this morning and saw this white stuff falling from the sky! In person! It just kept falling. And it was cold to the touch. It gets pretty cold in California too. Sometimes it dips below freezing.  I got to use a snow shovel today, for the first time in ages. It was fun.

White Stuff
Digital Photo

Tomorrow:

Mom’s funeral is tomorrow (2-22-15). That won’t be fun at all. It is a long trip and the weather isn’t looking too good where the cemetery is located. And my mother’s body will be lowered into the ground. I’m thinking it will be like a scene from one of those black and white movies where it is cold, dark and rainy and all these grim people with open black umbrellas, are gathered around an open grave. I’m not relishing that prospect.

The good part is, I will be with family and friends and we will have a warm place to go afterwards to reminisce.